"David Bowie would play retro Star Wars video games."

Rogue One was a bit meh

I’m a huge, huge, yuge Star Wars fan. The kind who has a few Stormtrooper helmets in a glass display case, collects vintage toys action figures, has a Han Solo rug (and matching shower curtain), uses a Darth Vader/Stormtrooper salt and pepper set and has dozens of coffee table books. I thoroughly enjoyed Episode VII, and I even think the prequels aren’t that bad.

But I was somewhat disappointed by the recent spin-off Rogue One.

I liked it the first time I saw it. But since Star Wars movies are meant to be watched billions of times, I watched it again. And then again. And I noticed that with every time I saw it again, I enjoyed it less.

A little too much fan service. Darth Vader was cool, though not essential to the story. But C-3PO and R2-D2 were absolutely unnecessary.

Too many characters. With difficult names to boot. It used to be so simple: Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie. Now it’s Jyn, Cherrut, Bodi, Caspian, Blaze…. what? (Yes I know those are not their actual names.)

A story that could be much, much simpler. Don’t go to 17 different planets. Don’t build a whole subplot around a quest for Forrest Whitaker when it’s perfectly fine if they would just go and visit this guy. Make the rebellion squabble less before decisions are made.

Actually, I was very impressed by that one CGI character.

It’s not a bad movie, by any means. Still gets a 7/10. It’s cool that it takes place in the Star Wars universe. But that aside, I don’t know. Maybe I just have to get used to the fact that since it’s not part of the episodic series, it plays by different rules. The spin-offs don’t interest me that much, really. I’m not that excited about a young Han Solo spin-off movie.